Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 4 of 140}

"who moved my cheese" what a great bit of advice for everyone on this sight.i pick it up til this day just to remind myself where i am and where i want to go.....great idea regent

Dear Regent,

There's nothing to be concerned about in the Chaser formula. The active ingredients are just calcium and activated charcoal. Activated charcoal binds to ingested toxins immediately upon contact.

I've never known calcium to eliminate the type of symptoms you mentioned in your previous post.

When do you take the dose of Effexor? Exactly how mny of these did you take and over what time period?


There is a possibility that it is removing drug metabolites from your system. Your responses will reveal whether this could be.

Parachute was instructing you on how to make an isopathic remedy from Effexor. This is being suggested as aay of getting Effexor out of one's body. The problem here is that it is not what is in your body that causes problems, it's the morphological changes to the brain and alterations in brain chemistry that cause the actual problems. You could be completly free of drug and drug metabolite and still be quite ill.

I would never recommend putting the body in any more crisis than it is already in.

You're welcome to check out my withdrawal and recovery group. There are over 300 people there in active withdrawal or recovery. The URL can be found by clicking on my name. There's all kinds of info in the files and archives there. I also customize protocols for withdrawal and recovery for people.

Regards,
Catherine

catherine,
so basically...these morphological changes to our brains are what causes every function in our existence? like lsd users, marijuana users, alcohol, every brain altering agent? so what we are looking for are corrective, reversal or maintainence measures? i think i get it, although it does sound a bit hopeless. i did a small amount of research, in fact, i found a medical journal that you may be interested in. the journal of addictive disease ~ the official journal of the american society of addiction medicine ~ volume 19~ issue 1 ~ the haworth press , inc. let me tell you how i have treating my withdrawl over the last few days ~last 18 3/4 mg effexor was on wednesday between 3:30 and 4:00 pm. i took 2 chasers at 6:00 pm and one more at 10:00. the reason for the 10:00 chaser was because i felt "drunk" this was the evening that my emotional state was ~ teary, and did not know why i felt so blue. thursday morning i woke up feeling refreshed, energized, but still quite dizzy "drunk", took one chaser at 9:00 am ~ felt awesome the entire day ~ around 3:00 pm, i began to feel "drunk again, so took another at 4:00. i did some research on the active ingredients and found the same thing you obviously did. so...therefore, knowing that it was safe, i wanted to eliminate all other withdrawl remedies and experiment with one thing at a time, to find out what helps me the best. lots of water as well. took one more "chaser" this morning at 9:00 and feel great. i do, however sort of have a lingering "drunk" feeling, though it is tolerable. my thought process is clear, and have more energy than i have had in quite some time. when i get hungry, it is ravenous. that bothers me. it seems almost uncontrolable. and one other thing...i feel really funny posting this in a public forum, except it really was a big deal for me. okk here goes...i had my first absolutely wonderful orgasm last night. my sexual function has been ok except for failure to come to orgasm. gosh i hope you don't think i am weird now! it was just such a big deal for me, that i started laughing with jubilee. i'm sure my fiance' thought i was out of my mind. he has no idea, i'm pretty good at faking. so now that you probably all think i'm wacko, i am going to go visit your recovery group. thanks for your interest in little ole' me.
respectfully,
regent

Hi everyone..I, like everyone else experiencing this same problem, am very glad to have found this forum..I also am experiencing severe withdrawl from Effexor..Nausea, diarrhea, shaking, tearfulness, muscle pain but the worst is the lightheadedness and dizziness..Does this ever go away?..What can be done in the meantime to alleviate the extreme dizziness?..I have never experienced withdrawl symptoms before and I am very scared..I was lead to believe that this medication was non-habit forming..That was a lie..Please help..Kim

Hi everyone..I, like everyone else experiencing this same problem, am very glad to have found this forum..I also am experiencing severe withdrawl from Effexor..Nausea, diarrhea, shaking, tearfulness, muscle pain but the worst is the lightheadedness and dizziness..Does this ever go away?..What can be done in the meantime to alleviate the extreme dizziness?..I have never experienced withdrawl symptoms before and I am very scared..I was lead to believe that this medication was non-habit forming..That was a lie..Please help..Kim

Hi dreamliner,
i'm glad you found us too. Though I am not promoting nor would I tell you it's ok to take any other medications, I will tell you what seems to have been helping me. One thing that I have taken, and do take probably daily (except for the last couple of days) is a motion sickness pill, like dranamine. My pharmacist suggested it once when I was out of the evil pills effexor, and was waiting for a refill. Another thing that I have taking over the last couple of days is something called, "Chaser" Hangover remedy. I found it in the grocery store among the pain relievers. I cannot honestly tell you what it does or why it works, but it does. I have not taken effexor since Wednesday morning. The extreme dizziness is quite hard to deal with on a normal day, let alone on a day when life is hectic. I think a big part of it is to not dwell on it. When you are feeling crappy, find something to do, fold laundry, get on the computer, or watch a really good program on television. I find that if I don't have to multi task I can give my brain a chance to catch up. Yesterday I had to go visit my dad in the hospital, in a nearby city with lots of traffic, and of course the hospital was right downtown, so concentrating on all the cars and where I was in my lane and making the right turns was very difficult. Also, reading seems to bother me. Not a good thing because I am a computer tech at our local middle school. However, I know that I would be alot worse without the Hangover remedy, or the motion sickness pills. They are natural so there is no danger in addiction. Go back and read ccreal's posts, she has a support group and really knows why our brains are doing this to us. I too was told by my doctor that Effexor was not addictive!!!!! Although it wouldn't have mattered at the time, because all i wanted was to be normal again. Right now I am trying to understand this, because all in all, most of us were put on this drug for a reason, and I fear that those old problems may come back. So........where do we go from here. We can't give e-mail addresses out so, if you want to try and figure this out and e-mail me, I would be glad to talk. first part of my e-mail is: lorisiss and I am at hotmail. I think you can figure it out.
I'll be thinking of you.
Respectfully,
Regent

welcome dreamliner & hi everybody else:

I am still hanging in there; I am at day 14 of my elimination of Effexor. Have not have one tiny little evil bead since Feb 20 at 8:30 pm. Boy, I sure miss 'em though. As I said before one day is good, the next ok, the next nearly intolerable, but haven't reverted back to "the bottle".

Hey Regent, thanks for mentioning "Chaser", I bought some yesterday at Walmart and took one yesterday and two this morning and so far so good. Thank you so much. I am hoping that it'll will do for me what it did for you in the "boudior". Sorry, if I mispelled it. I am so glad to be back to at least wanted to be intimate again with my husband. I went about 2 years not wanting to ever have sex again. I felt bad about it but had negative 1000% no desire whatsoever. Probably the worst side effect being on this drug as opposed to the ugly withdrawls too. I'm happy with at least anticipating it again.

Keep writing dreamliner, we here for you. You too, Regent, I love your posts.. I feel as though I know you personally. Take care everyone and post.

hello everyone,
thanks for all your encouragement! i have to tell you, i ran out of the "chaser" and went an entire day without one. i was so dizzy and emotional. i went to the store about an hour and a half ago, picked some up, took two and feel tons better. another thing i picked uup was a nutrition, energy bar. the brand available here is: eas(brand name) bar is called: advant edge flavor i chose: chocolate peanut crisp. it was really pretty good. it certainly satisfied my cravings. i noticed after several minutes had passed that i actually felt full and didn't have the desire to eat. i am a foody and love to cook and eat.
hey rinky, i miss those evil pills too, especially when i feel really emotional and know that nobody understands me. i even spoke the words today, "i almost feel like starting up again, just so i can even back out". i am really glad that i threw away the newly filled prescription on friday, and the garbage man now has them in his posession. i couldn't get anymore now even if i wanted to. i hope that things go well for you with your husband. i gotta tell you, you will feel better just looking at him again, knowing what is to come. i honestly had no idea that the evil beads could be having an impact on my ability to have an orgasm. i thought it was my age, because i certainly had the desire. i don't think i have mentioned that my fiance was the most eligible bachelor in our little town for quite some time. it was i who made the first move. i e-mailed him and suggested that we get together to work on a community calendar that i had been designing. so we did. i really had no intention in doing a community calendar with him, i had already given the work to somebody else. i just needed to know if i stood a chance. apparently, i did...we went out to a play following the very brief "community calendar" after hours meeting, and have been together ever since. did i mention that i am 43 and jeff is 26! so you understand my urgency in getting back the little body that i had even 4 weeks ago. i hope you all don't think i am perverted, i just refuse to grow up. and as long as it lasts i'm gonna live like i'm 15 years younger than i am. let me know how everybody's doing~i love reading and helping and discovering with you all.
love
regent

hi guys,
if you want to know a little bit about me you can visit this website; http://www.mlui.org the picture of me is really gross, i hate it, but i'm pretty proud of the work i did. i recently resigned my position with the city. long story. i loved my theatre and am soooooo sad that i am not a part of her anymore, but my family had to come first. enjoy!
respectfully,
regent

sorry...one more thing...the article to visit on the website is : a civic gift: allegan.
allegan's civil society.
regent

Hi everyone, it's me again!
I have read alot about this chaser stuff that you guys are talking about, does it really work? Does it help for the "brain zaps"? You all say that you are dealing with alot of hunger, but I'm acctually experiencing the oposite. I can't stand food anymore! I have to force myself to eat atleast one meal a day, so I chose dinner! lol
I do on the other hand eat ALOT of fruit and drink alot of fluids, but food just makes me want to throw up, literally! I wish I had the desire to eat. I feel the Amyron is helping me alot, but still dealing with terrible brain zapps and bad moodswings! I wish there was a miracle pill out there, just not with all these side effects!
I wish we all could get together and start a support group, I think that would be SO much fun. well, I'll stop blabbering and hope you all are doing well. Take care everone and I'll post again soon.
Sincerely, April

Regent... there is nothing wrong with a younger man! You GO GIRLFIEND! LOL
You sound like a very sweet person, just wish I knew you personally and acctually had friends like you! Oh, and I thought I'd let you know... Mark and I acctually got to go out on Saturday night, ALONE with NO kids! He took me out for a beautiful dinner at the outback! It was nice to just spend some time alone, it brought back memories from when we first met. We always seemed to find time for eachother in the beginning, don't know why it should stop just because we have a family and more stress! It should be the oposite, cause that's when you need the special time that much more, don't you think? Well, I just wanted to let you know that we took your advice and really had a great time! Thanks again so much, Regent!
Sincerely, April

Hi Everyone..I hope everyone is feeling better..Regent, I tried to send you an email at hotmail, but it would not go through..I am still feeling nauseated and dizzy..It's shocking our own government let this drug be marketed and not even warn of it's addictiveness..I wonder if it's just another way to gain control over us all?..Sorry I have to make this posting kind of short, but my bird is screaming to get attention and her scream is DEAFENING..God Bless to all of you...Kim(Dreamliner)

Hi Regent, I wanted to say that age doesn't matter at all..One's heart cannot determine the age of another..I wish you the best in your relationship...God Bless..Kim(Dreamliner)

Hi everyone,
So glad everyone is continuing to post, and those that aren't were thinking of you too. Well, today is day 16 for me with NO EFFEXOR!! I sure don't feel great though. I can't make it through the day without a nap and unfortunately last night I took on (unintentionally) about 7:30 pm and woke up around 9:00 pm. Needless to say I was up till 1:00 and didn't fall asleep until about 4:30 this morning. Only to have to awake at 7:30 and get the kids up and out to school. THis is a vicious cycle, now I am sure I will be dead ass dragging by dinnertime tonight. I have been experiencing (along with my emotional ones) a terrible bloating feeling. I know you, Regent, said your belly was unusually extended that one day. I am trying to stay away from eating today (thank goodness maybe I'll become disgusted with the thought of food). 16 days down and only 349 to go!! The thought of feeling this crappy one day to the next is practically unbearable, hopefully the symptoms will subside and at least become tolerable. Keep posting everyone, I need to hear from you. Misery loves company y'know. Love, Rinky.

Hey Rinky,
first of all, I can tell that you are a really cool gal! How long were you on the evil pills? I was on for almost one year. I was on something else before effexor, (the name escapes me right now). I think the symptoms are different depending on the amount of time we were on them. The bloating is so bad and came on so quickly for me. It makes me feel so unattractive. I would love to be discusted at the thought of food. So many other factors are screwed up in my life right now, that it is difficult to tell if the emotional ups and downs come from the withdrawl or from lifes problems. Somebody came to my home today to post a note of foreclosure on my front door. That was such a nice thing to come home to after work. I am filing bankruptcy, against my innermost integrity, but I have no other choice. When my ex. left, he left me with all the debt. Because he hasn't worked in over 2 years now, the courts see no need to go after him, and I have no money to pursue it. I don't want this house anymore anyway, Lots of bad memories. I need to get through this with my head up. It is sooooooo hard. I feel like such a loser most of the time, and then that little voice inside me says, "this was not in the plan, you had no control over it". I could not have maintained the financial responsibility even with the best paying job. I know that feeling of nap. It feels so good to just lay your head down, and then when you get up, you feel guilty and worse than you did when you laid down. I wish I knew the answer to that one. I am all for naps!
I have to tell you all about my little escapade last night. It made me feel really good. As many of you know, my fiance' really outdid himself on my birthday. I racked my brain trying to come up with something as creative without needing alot of money. Today is his birthday, so last night at midnight, I made up flyers that said, "Today is Jeff McLaughlin's birthday. Special Agent with the Bartz Rumery Agency" I printed off a ton of them, took them downtown and posted them on every window and door at every merchant in the downtown development area. Front and back door! Jeff works right next to City Hall so everybody knows him (and loves him) He recieved lots of gifts, calls and greetings from all kinds of people. The bank on the block got him a birthday card, the book and coffee shop brought him over a yummy coffee this morning, and the candy shop lady brought him some goodies. His boss called me "the birthday fairy" Made me feel good to know that even though I could not be with him to make his birth day special , that I could count on my friends downtown to take care of him. My two teenage kids composed letters for him that made me cry like a baby. It is for these reasons that I know that I can get through anything. We all need each other. Something I put in my love letter to Jeff was, "I've learned that one of the best things you must do every day, is touch someone, Humans love touch...whether it be a hug, a soft touch on the shoulder, or an arm and shoulder to lean on. I feel like I love you all. After all, aren't we all sisters? Keep in touch.
Respectfully,
Regent

Hi everyone,
Well, I am on day 22 off Effexor & day 8 off of Welbutrin. Wow, it's been a crazy ride, I can say that. I think (I pray) I am over the worst of it now. I take 1 "Chaser" pill in the morning & 1 before bed and feel pretty good. I don't know if it's all in my head (pardon the pun) but they seem to make me feel more energetic. I believe they do work - I've convinced myself that it's taking any toxins out of my system. I still get very teary eyed about once a day, and the hungry is starting to subside a little bit. Thank God, for that. Whew!! I'm still thinking about everyone who is still going thru hell over this little nasties though and pray for you too. Haven't heard from a few of you recently so I am hoping things are going along ok for you. P.S. Regent, I was on Effexor for about 2 years & Paxil 2 years prior to that, so it's been quite a while. The Welbutrin came in to counter the sexual side effects of Paxil about the same time I started taking Effexor so it's been a while on all this crap. I am going in for tubal ligation surgery in the middle of April, so I won't need the "little patch" anymore either. Wow, my body is gonna say what in the world happened to all the drugs we're used to. Oh well, just have to be high on life now, right? Remember reality is for people who can't handle drugs!! Love, Rinky...

thanx u all for the effexor webpage and the comments.. I been off these efeexors since oct and I too wentto the hosptial because I wouldnt eat and was throwin up and shakin. I had an IV becase I was dehydrated. I lost about 10 pds.. I still have the spins and its been over 3 months or so. I am going to try the body clense and see how that goes. I ama lil nervous but I cant take this.. I thought it was vertigo but I been on pils for that and it hasnt help. Thanx for listenin

Hello everyone! Welcome alicat871...I seem to be doing really well. I haven't had one of those evil pills for a few weeks now. Once in a while I feel dizzy, but that too seems to be going away as the days pass. I still have diarrhea and stomach cramps. I don't know if it's the withdrawl or a bug that seems to be going around. I feel extremely fortunate. Alicat871...have you read the posts about the "chaser" meds that I found in my local grocery store? They are for hangovers. I tried them because that is what it felt like...a terrible hangover. They really worked for me, and other people have gotten them and have reported that they are very helpful. They are called "Chaser" Hangover remedy. They are all natural, they apparently work to absorb the toxins in your body. Another remedy that my pharmacist told me about, when I had run out of the effexor once and couldn't function...was dramamine. That works well too. (it's a motion sickness pill) I have taken both. One thing I have questioned with the Chaser; is that if it absorbs what you put in your body, you probably should not take it at the same time you take your other medications. ie...ibuprophen, your pills for vertigo, etc. etc. (Although I am not sure). I try and take them as a last resort and after I know that any meds I have taken have had a chance to work. I hope you can find them. One other thing. If you have any of those evil pills left. Open up one of the capsules, pour them out into your hand, and notice how tiny and few those little beads are. Look at them and say, "You will not rule my life, you are small and I am big", and then wash them down the sink. I couldn't believe that such a small thing could do so much damage to my wellbeing, and I refused to be controlled by it. Try and stay focused on small things. take baby steps. Your family will absolutely have to be supportive of you. The longer you have to struggle through this alone, the longer it is going to take. I actually let my friends, family and co-workers read a ton of the posts, just to keep them informed on what I was going through and what they should be prepared for. Remember...you have no control over the metamorphasis going on in your brain. Go back and read ccreal's posts. She knows what she is talking about. You can't expect it to just be gone. But you can't do it cold turkey. If it doesn't get better, you may have to (I hate to even say this), go back on the effexor. Small dose, and gradually go off. Open the capsules, divide them into smaller doses and put in yogurt or applesauce. They cannot control your life. Remember that! They are small and you are great and
beautiful!!!!!!!! Don't be nervous. Just be sure to let others around you know what is going on. It's not like you are just whining and not doing anything about it. You are taking your life back to be a better person and give back your beautiful self to everybody. Is that selfish? I don't think so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love you all
Regent (Lori)

lori thank you for response. I have taken baby steps off them.. I am just wonderin if it is the effexor or somthin else. Since I been off i do not feel the same.. I feel attimes like I am fallin becasue of the dizziness.. if this continiues I may need to get ears check or sinuses.. If not that then I will see about different meds.. Its like these pills created a new problem, for me.. thanx alison

Hi Alison, It could be something else. My equilibrium seemed to be off as well. Though I am not experiencing any bad symptoms now at all. Occasional dizziness is all. I was looking at some natural herb remedies and seem to remember reading about one that helped with equilibrium problems. I'll try and find out what it is, and why our body needs it, and I'll let you know. And yes, the pills did create a new problem. They caused your brain to "morph", much like the effects of L.S.D. and other hallucinagenic drugs did, and do to many people. Quite unfortunate for us, because we allowed our trusted physicians to treat us with these things. I'm not saying that our brains are perfect and that chemicals are not sometimes needed to alter our circumstances, it's just that I am finding that there are better, more natural ways to do it. And...the drug companies need to be aware of the effects of going off these drugs. However, if we all cannot bear to go through the withdrawls, and remain at their mercy, the drug companies continue to reap the financial benefits. Be strong, and I'll try and get back to you soon.
Regent(Lori)

hi lorie thanbx again.. I did the self clensing thing and man I had the worst pain ever in my stomach and diarea.. I know thats gross but true.. I am going to this homneopathic place in orlando florida to have them test my pressure points and stuff.. it shall be interesting... alison

Hello brave Effexor victims

My story is pretty similar to the rest in the forum- I was prescribed Effexor to combat panic attacks. Like many, the side-effects were worse than the problem, and made the anxiety worse to boot! My doctor interpreted this as a need to increase my dose, and thus began a year of unspeakable torture for me.

A story I obviously don't need to tell as you all seem to understand quite well exactly what I am going through. I brazenly made an attempt to make my last drop from 75mg to zero (I started at 187.5), and discovered the 'brain zap' in earnest for the first time. It was dismissed by my doctor as a virus, and I was left to suffer.

Until last night.

I stumbled upon this forum almost by accident, while searching desparately for some relief to these symptoms. To read the descriptions left by fellow sufferers has done more good than any suppliment. Some of you have described my condition right down to the letter. Just knowing that you're all out there with me is enough to give me the strength to go a little further. I thank you all deeply.

One thing I have noticed with this withdrawl (at least so much as the other drops were concearned) is that I always seemed to 'snap out of it' often in the middle of the day, and I feel closer to normal again. The worst thing I think that I did was retreat from it- lying in bed only gave me quiet time to think about how bad I felt. I know this will pass now with you all with me! If you can do it, I can do it! And if I can do it, we ALL can do it! I wish I never heard of Effexor, but it's not going to ruin my life- no no no. Good luck to all you fine people- I'll be beside you all.

So my question is: what is everyone taking (if anything) and how is it working? I see lots of suggestions, but I'm terrified to take anything whatsoever out of fear that it may worsen the withdrawl.

Hi All, I stumbled across this site and was amazed at the comments that had been posted, I thought that I was the only one who had been through the "Effexor Initiation Ceremony" I suffered all the withdrawal symptoms that have been mentioned and still have some but at a reduced amount and I've been off the "Devil Pill" for around 6 months now having previously been taking 225mg a day.
The only words of encouragement I can give is that coming off effexor is best done slowly and reduce your dosage by a tenth every month, you will go through some problems on the way but nowhere near as many as if you cut them out at once. A little alcohol helps with the sleep but too much can work against the medication to give you even more problems.
But a big help is sites like this where like minded people can give a helping hand to others who need it.
Like I said I'm now completely off effexor but life still throws things at you to make you feel like using the effexor crutch again, "DON'T DO IT" or you'll throw away all the hard work you've already done.

Hi everyone..

After many years of depression I finally decided that maybe i should do something about it and went to a doctor in the fall. Before this I tried all to tough it out, including alot of self medicating through drinking and drugs.
At first i was put on wellbutrin but a couple months ago i was switched to effexor . I am on 2 pills per day. i ran out of my prescription the other day and didnt have a chance to get it refilled till tongight.. But today I have been very dizzy and dazed. It was very very uncomfortable. I was suspicious that maybe it was a withdrawal symptom from the drug but was very surprised when I got to this sight at the possibilities of withdrawal symptoms. It now really scares me what might happen if I am on this drug for an extended period of time.
Is there anything I can take that will work like effexor but that will not harm your body??
thank
b

Hi everyone..

After many years of depression I finally decided that maybe i should do something about it and went to a doctor in the fall. Before this I tried all to tough it out, including alot of self medicating through drinking and drugs.
At first i was put on wellbutrin but a couple months ago i was switched to effexor . I am on 2 pills per day. i ran out of my prescription the other day and didnt have a chance to get it refilled till tongight.. But today I have been very dizzy and dazed. It was very very uncomfortable. I was suspicious that maybe it was a withdrawal symptom from the drug but was very surprised when I got to this sight at the possibilities of withdrawal symptoms. It now really scares me what might happen if I am on this drug for an extended period of time.
Is there anything I can take that will work like effexor but that will not harm your body??
thank
b